DWARF

PLANETS
SCIENCE
 DWARF PLANETS
A “dwarf planet,” as defined by the IAU,
is a celestial body in direct orbit of the
Sun that is massive enough that its shape
is controlled by gravitational forces
rather than mechanical forces (and is
thus ellipsoid in shape), but has not
cleared its neighboring region of other
objects.
• So, the three criteria of the IAU for a full-sized
planet are:
• It is in orbit around the Sun.
• It has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic
equilibrium (a nearly round shape).
• It has "cleared the neighborhood" around its orbit.

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The Problem

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CERES HAUMEA MAKEMAKE ERIS

PLUTO

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 ERIS • Eris was once considered for
the position of tenth planet.
Diameter: 2,326 km
Eris is the most massive dwarf
Mass: 1.66 × 10^22 kg (0.23 planet in the Solar System,
Moons) exceeding Pluto’s mass by 28%.
As such, it was a serious
contender to be a tenth planet
but failed to meet the criteria
Orbit Distance: 10,120,000,000 km set out by the International
(68.01 AU) Astronomical Union in 2006.
• Eris was named after the Greek goddess of discord.
Orbit Period: 560.9 years Fittingly, picking a name for the object took unusually long –
Surface Temperature: -231°C more than 1.5 years after its discovery in 2005. Some of the
rejected names were Xena, Lila, and Persephone (Pluto’s
Moons: 1 (Dysnomia) wife).
Discovery Date: January 5th 2005 • Eris is the second largest dwarf planet.
Eris is unquestionably the most massive of the known dwarf
Discovered By: M.E. Brown C.A. Trujillo planets (the largest object that is not a planet that orbits the
& D.L. Rabinowitz Sun) and was once thought to be the largest due to its
relative brightness. After a stellar occultation in 2010 its
diameter was calculated to be smaller than previously
thought and more recent measurement suggested Pluto was
larger than thought making it the largest.
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 ERIS
• All the objects in the Asteroid Belt
Eris, the largest dwarf planet, is only could fit inside Eris.
slightly bigger than Pluto, at 1,445 miles Eris is still smaller than the Earth’s
in diameter (2,326 km). Discovered in Moon, having about two thirds of the
Moon’s diameter and one third of its
2003, Eris orbits at an average distance of volume.
68 AU (that is, 68 times the Earth’s • Eris is not always the most distant
distance from the sun) and takes 561.4 dwarf planet.
Earth years to circle the sun. Eris has the At Eris’ furthest point from the Sun
(Aphelion) it is so distant it is outside
orbit that is most highly inclined of all the the Kuiper Belt, however at its closet
dwarf planets, tilted nearly 47 degrees point (Perihelion) it is closer the the
from the plane of the planets’ orbits. A than Pluto’s most distant point.
day on Eris takes 25.9 hours. Eris has one
moon, Dysnomia

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 PLUTO • Pluto is named after the
Greek god of the
Diameter: 2,372 km underworld.
This is a later name for
Mass: 1.31 × 10^22 kg (0.17 the more well known
Hades and was
Moons)
proposed by Venetia
Burney an eleven year old
Orbit Distance: 5,874,000,000 km (39.26 schoolgirl from Oxford,
AU) England.
•Pluto was reclassified from a planet to a dwarf
planet in 2006.
This is when the IAU formalised the 
Orbit Period: 248.0 years
definition of a planet as “A planet is a celestial body that
(a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for
Surface Temperature: -229°C its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it
assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape,
and (c) has cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.”
Moons: 5 (Charon) •Pluto was discovered on February 18th, 1930 by the
Discovery Date: February 18th 1930 Lowell Observatory.
For the 76 years between Pluto being discovered and
Discovered By: Clyde W. Tombaugh the time it was reclassified as a dwarf planet it
completed under a third of its orbit around the Sun.

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 PLUTO
Pluto, discovered in 1930, orbits the sun
at an average of 39.5 times the Earth’s
distance. Its diameter is 1,430 miles
(2,302 km). Pluto takes 247.9 Earth years
to orbit the sun, and its day is 6.39 times
as long as Earth’s.
• Pluto has five known moons.
The moons are Charon (discovered in 1978,), Hydra and Nix (both discovered in 2005), Kerberos originally P4
(discovered 2011) and Styx originally P5 (discovered 2012) official designations S/2011 (134340) 1 and S/2012
(134340) 1.
• Pluto is the largest dwarf planet.
At one point it was thought this could be Eris. Currently the most accurate measurements give Eris an average
diameter of 2,326km with a margin of error of 12km, while Pluto’s diameter is 2,372km with a 2km margin of
error.

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 PLUTO
Pluto, discovered in 1930, orbits the sun
at an average of 39.5 times the Earth’s
distance. Its diameter is 1,430 miles
(2,302 km). Pluto takes 247.9 Earth years
to orbit the sun, and its day is 6.39 times
as long as Earth’s.
• Pluto has been visited by one spacecraft.
The New Horizons spacecraft, which was launched in 2006, flew by Pluto on the 14th of July 2015 and took a series
of images and other measurements. New Horizons is now on its way to the Kuiper Belt to explore even more distant
objects.
• Pluto’s location was predicted by Percival Lowell in 1915.
The prediction came from deviations he initially observed in 1905 in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune.
• Pluto sometimes has an atmosphere.
When Pluto elliptical orbit takes it closer to the Sun, its surface ice thaws and forms a thin atmosphere primarily of
nitrogen which slowly escapes the planet. It also has a methane haze that overs about 161 kilometres above the
surface. The methane is dissociated by sunlight into hydrocarbons that fall to the surface and coat the ice with a
dark covering. When Pluto travels away from the Sun the atmosphere then freezes back to its solid state.

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 PLUTO
Pluto, discovered in 1930, orbits the sun
at an average of 39.5 times the Earth’s
distance. Its diameter is 1,430 miles
(2,302 km). Pluto takes 247.9 Earth years
to orbit the sun, and its day is 6.39 times
• Pluto is one third water. as long as Earth’s.
This is in the form of water ice which is more than 3 times as much water as in all the Earth’s oceans, the remaining
two thirds are rock. Pluto’s surface is covered with ices, and has several mountain ranges, light and dark regions,
and a scattering of craters.
• Pluto is smaller than a number of moons.
These are Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, Io, Europa, Triton, and the Earth’s moon. Pluto has 66% of the diameter of the
Earth’s moon and 18% of its mass. While it is now confirmed that Pluto is the largest dwarf planet for around 10
years it was thought that this was Eris.
• Pluto has a eccentric and inclined orbit.
This takes it between 4.4 and 7.3 billion km from the Sun meaning Pluto is periodically closer to the Sun than
Neptune.
• Pluto has been visited by one spacecraft.
The New Horizons spacecraft, which was launched in 2006, flew by Pluto on the 14th of July 2015 and took a series
of images and other measurements. New Horizons is now on its way to the Kuiper Belt to explore even more distant page 9
 HAUMEA:THE EGG SHAPED
PLANET • Haumea was discovered in 2003. This
dwarf planet has an extremely elongated
Equatorial Diameter: 1,960 km to 1,518 km shape, with its longest dimension being
. about 1,218 miles long (1,960 km).
Haumea rotates very rapidly and has the
Polar Diameter: 996 km shortest day of all the dwarf planets, only
3.9 hours. Orbiting 43.1 times farther from
the sun than Earth does, Haumea takes
nearly 282 Earth years to complete one
Mass: 4.01 × 10^21 kg (0.05 orbit. Haumea has two moons, Hi’iaka
Moons) and Namaka

• A day on Haumea lasts 3.9 hours.

Orbit Distance: 6,452,000,000 km (43.13 Haumea’s characteristic extreme elongation is
AU) 9 HOURS PER DAY probably caused by its rotation, which is so rapid it
turned it into an ellipsoid. Its rotational speed as
Orbit Period: 283.3 years well as its collisional origin also make Haumea one
of the densest dwarf planets discovered to date.
Surface Temperature: -241°C • Haumea has a spot.
In 2009 a dark red spot was discovered which
Moons: 2 (Hi’iaka & Namaka)
stands out from surrounding crystalline ice. It’s
thought this spot could be an area of the dwarf
planet that is with a higher concentration of
Discovery Date: 28th December 2004 minerals and carbon rich compounds than the rest
of the icy surface.
Discovered By: (Disputed) Mike Brown & page 10
 MAKEMAKE • Haumea was discovered in 2003. This
dwarf planet has an extremely elongated
shape, with its longest dimension being
Equatorial Diameter: 1,434 km . about 1,218 miles long (1,960 km).
Haumea rotates very rapidly and has the
Polar Diameter: 1,422 km shortest day of all the dwarf planets, only
3.9 hours. Orbiting 43.1 times farther from
Mass: 2-5 × 10^21 kg (0.04 the sun than Earth does, Haumea takes
Moons) nearly 282 Earth years to complete one
orbit. Haumea has two moons, Hi’iaka
Orbit Distance: 6,850,000,000 km (45.79 and Namaka
AU) • A day on Haumea lasts 3.9 hours.
Orbit Period: 309.9 years Haumea’s characteristic extreme elongation is
Surface Temperature: -239°C probably caused by its rotation, which is so rapid it
turned it into an ellipsoid. Its rotational speed as
Moons: 1 (MK 2 - S/2015 (136472)
well as its collisional origin also make Haumea one
1) of the densest dwarf planets discovered to date.
Discovery Date: March 31st 2005
• Haumea has a spot.
Discovered By: Michael E. Brown, Chad In 2009 a dark red spot was discovered which
Trujillo & David stands out from surrounding crystalline ice. It’s
Rabinowitz thought this spot could be an area of the dwarf
planet that is with a higher concentration of
minerals and carbon rich compounds than the rest
of the icy surface.
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Team

Mirjam Nils Victoria Lindqvist Angelica Astrom

COO COB CFO

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THANK
YOU
Allan Mattsson

+1 555-0100
allan@contoso.com
www.contoso.com
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